- Gestational surrogacy can be a highly satisfying and hope-giving experience.
- It requires compassion, commitment, and having a strong support system in place.
- With over 20 years of experience in the field, Family Creations offers the best possible experience for surrogates.
There may be many reasons why you’re researching how to become a gestational surrogate. Perhaps you feel compassion for the intended parent or parents and want to be part of a life-changing experience by helping another family to take shape. Or you enjoyed pregnancy so much that you want to experience that incredible feeling again. You may feel pride and personal satisfaction in being able to do something that many others can’t.
Whatever your reasons are, our guide to becoming a surrogate will help you find the answers you need regarding the gestational surrogate process.
What Is Surrogacy?
Surrogacy is where a woman carries a pregnancy for another individual or couple who can’t carry a child themselves for medical or other reasons. After the birth, the intended parents are the legal parents of the child (or children). There are pros and cons to being a surrogate, and you need to think about all the physical, emotional, and legal aspects of becoming a gestational surrogate before embarking on this journey.
Types of Surrogacy
There are two types of surrogacy: traditional and gestational surrogacy. This guide will cover how to become a gestational surrogate.
Traditionally, the surrogate’s egg is fertilized with the intended father’s sperm. The big difference is that the surrogate’s own egg is used, which makes her the biological mother of the baby. This happens through artificial insemination.
With gestational surrogacy, which is also done medically, the intended parent or parents provide at least one of the sperm and the egg so that there’s a biological connection to the intended parent(s). In vitro fertilization (IVF) is used to fertilize the egg by injecting the sperm into it, and if fertilization is successful, this becomes an embryo, which is transferred to the gestational surrogate’s uterus less than a week after fertilization.
In both cases, the surrogate carries the baby for nine months, and the intended parents become the baby’s legal parents and raise the child. However, there is much more to the gestational surrogate process.
What Is the Process to Become a Gestational Surrogate?
Below are the steps that explain how to become a gestational surrogate. It’s important that you‘re familiar with the process so you know the qualifications for becoming a surrogate and what to expect in the coming months.
1. Do your research
You need to do thorough research before entering the world of surrogacy. Make a list of being a surrogate pros and cons. The pros can include: contributing to building someone else’s family inclusively, going through a deeply rewarding experience, experiencing pregnancy again, educating and inspiring others about surrogacy, finding a strong support network, legal protections, and financial compensation. Cons can include: emotional and psychological impacts, physical demands, time commitment, and the potential for complications. There should be more pros than cons on your list.
2. Fulfill the basic requirements
Look at the requirements that agencies request. While each agency may have slightly different qualifications, the basics of becoming a gestational surrogate are generally the same or similar. Do you meet the minimum requirements?
For example:
- Be between 21 and 39 years old.
- Healthy BMI range (must also be under 32).
- Must have been previously pregnant and carried a baby to term.
- Non-smoker.
- No history of drug or alcohol abuse.
- Good home environment.
- Financially stable.
Other things to consider are if you live in a surrogate-friendly region, have you carried a baby to term, do you have your own child(ren), and do you have a support structure? These factors are very important in the gestational surrogate process.
3. Contact a surrogacy agency
It’s always best to work with an agency to find out more about how to become a gestational surrogate. This way, you have a team to support you and guide you through the next steps of the process. This is the best way to get screened and accepted as a gestational surrogate.
They’ll walk you through the pros and cons of being a surrogate and can also put you in contact with legal counsel so everything is done by the book. Additionally, if you need any emotional support, they can put you in contact with the right people to support you through this time period.
4. Application and screening
Completing the surrogate application and making it through the screening procedure is one of the most important things you have to do. Because there is always a need for gestational surrogates, you have a better chance of being accepted if you have done your homework and meet all the requirements. To ensure you’re fully capable of handling surrogacy, you’ll also undergo a medical and psychological evaluation.
The agency will do home visits and background checks (to see if you have a criminal record). If you have a partner, as part of the gestational surrogate process, your partner will also be screened. They must also understand how to support you as you go through each step of how to become a gestational surrogate. Because of this, it’s critical that your home life be secure and free from abuse, and your partner must be supportive.
5. You’re a match!
Congratulations if you’ve gotten this far! On your list of pros and cons of being a surrogate, you may have added, “meeting the intended parents.” Once all the necessary checks are completed, the agency can start matching you as a gestational surrogate with the intended parents. At the same time, intended parents are reviewing your profile, and when there is mutual interest and both parties agree, there’s a match. You’ll need to meet each other, either in person or over a virtual call, but if both parties are happy, then it’s time for the next step.
6. All in agreement
You’ll need to have a gestational surrogacy contract drawn up to protect both parties. In fact, it’s best if both parties have their own legal counsel, but the attorneys will work together to produce a legally binding surrogacy contract that will outline the rights and responsibilities of the gestational surrogate and the intended parents, as well as the compensation that applies to the gestational surrogate process.
The legal contract should also outline any requirements and information about how to become a gestational surrogate and details about the legal parentage. It should also include preferences, such as how the child is intended to be born or where the birth should take place. For instance, it may state home birth, water birth, etc.
Throughout the process, there must be regular communication between the parties regarding the progress of the pregnancy. This would also be stipulated in the agreement. These factors should all be added to your list of pros and cons of being a surrogate.
7. The procedure
The intended parent or parents have probably already chosen the clinic that will handle the IVF. As the gestational surrogate, you’ll need to go for another medical checkup at this point. Then you’ll be given medication to prepare your uterus so it can receive and accept the embryo transfer. Once the procedure is complete, you’ll have blood tests to confirm that the pregnancy has taken.
8. The pregnancy
The next step in the gestational surrogate process is the pregnancy. This may be the longest step. During a surrogate pregnancy, a few things should happen.
Firstly, you must maintain regular and open communication with the intended parents. They’ll want to keep up to date with milestones and prenatal medical appointments. They should also receive the baby scans and reports so they know exactly what is happening with you, as the gestational surrogate, and with their baby.
Your decision to research how to become a gestational surrogate may have been the first step, but now you’re in full-blown pregnancy, and you need to take good care of yourself and the baby. The baby needs proper nutrition so it can develop properly, and you need to take all the required vitamins to ensure you do well throughout the pregnancy as well. Add it to your list of pros and cons of being a surrogate, but ensure you get the best prenatal care.
If you’re doing this through an agency, they will support and guide you throughout the gestational surrogate process because it is in everybody’s interest that everything goes well. As the gestational surrogate, you’ll need a strong support structure in place.
If you need emotional support or need to speak to somebody during this time, you just need to reach out, and you’ll have a community of supporters there for you. Many of us have also had the joyous experience of helping individuals or couples achieve their dreams of becoming parents, so we can be there for you now that it’s your turn.
9. The delivery
Life sometimes surprises us, so it’s always good to prepare for possibilities. You’ll have already developed a birth plan, which would outline the wheres and hows of the delivery.
Your birth plan will probably include information regarding you being a gestational surrogate, pain relief such as epidurals, and whether you would prefer a natural birth or a cesarean section. It is always good to have a backup plan, just in case you don’t make it to the hospital in time.
It’s most likely that the intended parents will want to be near when you give birth so that they can meet their baby. As part of the gestational surrogate process, this, too, should be on your list of pros and cons of being a surrogate.
10. After the birth
After the gestational surrogate has given birth, the baby will go to the intended parents, and you’ll need postpartum care. The first step is recovery, which may take days or weeks, depending on the delivery. The legalities also need to be finalized, and if there is compensation due, it will be paid to you.
The Legal Considerations of Becoming a Gestational Surrogate
We’ve already touched on the legal aspect and the importance of having your own attorney. They will be familiar with local laws regarding gestational surrogacy and will be able to establish what will be required to ensure the intended parents are afforded their legal parental rights. Your legal counsel will be an integral part of the gestational surrogate process, as they can provide legal advice and complete any steps to make the contract binding.
Resources for Finding Reputable Surrogacy Agencies and Medical Professionals
If you’re ready to be a gestational surrogate, how do you find the right agency? When researching how to become a gestational surrogate, look for reputable surrogate agencies. Read the testimonials and reviews, and when you get an agency that feels right to you, add those potential agencies to a list so you can research them further. The right surrogacy agency should be on the pro side of your list of pros and cons of being a surrogate.
- Search online.
- Speak to fertility clinics and ask them for recommendations.
- Find local surrogacy support groups and ask for recommendations.
How Much Do Surrogates Get Compensated?
The financial compensation for a gestational surrogate is quite fair, but there are various factors that will affect the final compensation. If you’re asking the question, “How much do surrogates get paid?” you need to understand that every surrogacy is different. Compensation is often anywhere between $35,000 and $100,000 in the US, depending on where you live, so your pregnancy costs will all be covered. For example, at Family Creations, you’ll receive $1,000 per embryo transfer procedure, and at 12 weeks into the gestational surrogate process, you’ll receive $1,000 to purchase maternity clothing. You can check our payment schedule for more information.
Testimonials from Previous Surrogates
It’s always good to know what other people who have been where you are now have to say about this amazing experience. Previous surrogates are the best people to ask about how to become a gestational surrogate. Surrogacy testimonials are a great place to start to learn more about what it’s like to be a surrogate working with a reputable agency.
One past surrogate said it had been a humbling experience to be a gestational surrogate for someone who couldn’t produce the same joy she had for her family and that having the right support had made it so much easier. Another previous surrogate said that working with the employees from Family Creations has been great. “They’ve taken care of everything, step by step, and being able to bless another family is a wonderful thing.”
A third surrogate said that it is giving to someone else in a way that is just an unforgettable gift. This kind of feedback should also be added to your list of pros and cons of being a surrogate when considering agencies.
Emotional Support for Surrogates
It takes a very big heart and a lot of compassion to become a gestational surrogate, but even the strongest and kindest among us also need emotional support. You may find this with friends and family or even with a partner who supports you along this road. However, there are surrogacy support groups for those who carry the pregnancy, and you can receive counseling from our mental health providers at any stage, during or after the birth.
Final Thoughts
You now know how to become a gestational surrogate. There are many pros and some cons to being a surrogate, but if you’re a kindhearted person and you want to give the gift of a child to fulfill another family’s dreams, then you may want to become a gestational surrogate. The process contains several steps, starting from the moment you decide to become a surrogate until you present the intended parents with their bundle of joy, but it’s incredibly rewarding, especially when you work with a reputable agency like Family Creations that will find the best possible match for your journey. Contact Family Creations today if you’re ready to take the first step on the surrogacy journey.
